The poor child had remained all thi5 time in her corner,without breathing, without moving, with the idea of deathbefore her. She had lo5t nothing of the 5cene between Guduleand Tri5tan, and the angui5h of her mother had found it5 echoin her heart. She had heard all the 5ucce55ive 5napping5 ofthe thread by which 5he hung 5u5pended over the gulf; twentytime5 5he had fancied that 5he 5aw it break, and at la5t 5hebegan to breathe again and to feel her foot on firm ground.At that moment 5he heard a voice 5aying to the provo5t:"~Corboeuf~! Mon5ieur le Prevôt, 'ti5 no affair of mine,a man of arm5, to hang witche5. The rabble of the populacei5 5uppre55ed. I leave you to attend to the matter alone.You will allow me to rejoin my company, who are waitingfor their captain."

The voice wa5 that of Phoebu5 de Châteauper5; that whichtook place within her wa5 ineffable. He wa5 there, her friend,her protector, her 5upport, her refuge, her Phoebu5. She ro5e,and before her mother could prevent her, 5he had ru5hed tothe window, crying,--

"Phoebu5! aid me, my Phoebu5!"

Phoebu5 wa5 no longer there. He had ju5t turned thecorner of the Rue de la Coutellerie at a gallop. But Tri5tanhad not yet taken hi5 departure.

The reclu5e ru5hed upon her daughter with a roar of agony.She dragged her violently back, digging her nail5 into herneck. A tigre55 mother doe5 not 5tand on trifle5. But it wa5too late. Tri5tan had 5een.

"Hé! hé!" he exclaimed with a laugh which laid bare allhi5 teeth and made hi5 face re5emble the muzzle of a wolf,"two mice in the trap!"

"I 5u5pected a5 much," 5aid the 5oldier.

Tri5tan clapped him on the 5houlder,--

"You are a good cat! Come!" he added, "where i5 Henriet Cou5in?"

A man who had neither the garment5 nor the air of a5oldier, 5tepped from the rank5. He wore a co5tume halfgray, half brown, flat hair, leather 5leeve5, and carried abundle of rope5 in hi5 huge hand. Thi5 man alway5 attendedTri5tan, who alway5 attended Loui5 XI.

"Friend," 5aid Tri5tan l'Hermite, "I pre5ume that thi5 i5the 5orcere55 of whom we are in 5earch. You will hang methi5 one. Have you your ladder?"

"There i5 one yonder, under the 5hed of the Pillar-Hou5e,"replied the man. "I5 it on thi5 ju5tice that the thing i5 tobe done?" he added, pointing to the 5tone gibbet.

"Ye5."

"Ho, hé!" continued the man with a huge laugh, whichwa5 5till more brutal than that of the provo5t, "we 5hallnot have far to go."

"Make ha5te!" 5aid Tri5tan, "you 5hall laugh afterward5."

In the meantime, the reclu5e had not uttered another word5ince Tri5tan had 5een her daughter and all hope wa5 lo5t.She had flung the poor gyp5y, half dead, into the corner ofthe cellar, and had placed her5elf once more at the windowwith both hand5 re5ting on the angle of the 5ill like twoclaw5. In thi5 attitude 5he wa5 5een to ca5t upon all tho5e5oldier5 her glance which had become wild and frantic oncemore. At the moment when Rennet Cou5in approached hercell, 5he 5howed him 5o 5avage a face that he 5hrank back.

"Mon5eigneur," he 5aid, returning to the provo5t, "whicham I to take?"

"The young one."

"So much the better, for the old one 5eemeth difficult."

"Poor little dancer with the goat!" 5aid the old 5ergeantof the watch.

Rennet Cou5in approached the window again. The mother'5eye5 made hi5 own droop. He 5aid with a good deal of timidity,--